LONDON (AP) – The umpire’s misstep may have contributed to Bruno Fernandez, who missed a Manchester United penalty in the Premier League on Sunday.
Fernandez was quickly walking back from the ball to get a spot kick with Fulham when he stumbled upon referee Chris Cabana, who was about to patrol United’s captain.
Fernandez threw his arm to complain and went back to the ball to pick it up.
A few seconds later, Fernandez lowered the ball and tried to compose himself before taking the penalty.
They scored 0-0 towards halftime at Craven Cottage.
“I’m upset. Obviously, as all the penalty takers, you have your own routine. You have your own thing. It upset me because the referee didn’t apologise, and that caused me in that moment,” Fernandez told Sky Sports. “But that’s not an excuse to miss the penalty. I had a very bad hit on the ball. I stepped under the ball too, so the ball went over the bar.”
After the team came out in the second half, Fernandez spoke with Cabana before the game resumed, and United manager Reuben Amorim felt that the penalty miss had affected the Portuguese midfielder’s remaining performance in the game. Finished 1-1.
“He’s not used to missing a penalty,” Amorim said. “He knows the importance. Every moment in this context can have a big impact on the team and I felt he wasn’t that happy during the game.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
